Neurorhabis

Neurorhabis is a fictional genus described in speculative biology and science-fiction worldbuilding. The name is derived from neuro- meaning nerve and rhab- suggesting a rod-like form, chosen to evoke a nerve-rich, elongated body. No real organism carries this name in the scientific record.

In the imagined taxonomy, Neurorhabis encompasses small, soft-bodied organisms with elongated, ribbon-like bodies up to about 2 cm in length. The integument is translucent, revealing a conspicuous central nerve-like cord running along the dorsal side. Sensory structures are distributed along the sides, including tactile bristles and photoreceptive ocelli. The body lacks a mineral skeleton and relies on ciliary motion for locomotion. Reproduction is described as sexual, with external fertilization and free-swimming larvae; some described species are said to be hermaphroditic.

Ecology and behavior: Neurorhabis is depicted as a detritivore or micro-filter feeder in shallow marine environments, often on muddy or algal substrates. It is imagined to have slow movement, with a tendency to withdraw into a mucus sheath when threatened. Its life cycle may include a lecithotrophic larval stage that metamorphoses into the juvenile form.

In fiction and education: Neurorhabis is used in worldbuilding guides to illustrate how nervous-system complexity could arise in simple body plans, and appears in speculative biology compendia and science-fiction settings as an example of a nervously organized invertebrate.